Will Older Gay Men Who Choose Not To Be Married Be Discriminated Against, Wonders John Waters

A series of questions posed by John Waters in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter seems to run parallel with the screams emitted by homophobes immediately after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality. "NOW WE ALL HAVE TO GET GAY MARRIED," too many a bigot cried last week.

John is concerned that with full federal marriage rights now afforded to same-sex couples in 13 states and D.C. he'll be an outcast and discriminated against for not wanting to get married.

“Now what will they call gay men like myself who choose not to be married?" John asks. "There’s no name for us. Will we be discriminated against in our old age? Ah, a new chapter in the gay struggle.”

I think John's machinating drama out of fear over the death of gay culture. Fret not, John, the inclusive community will always have a place for its aging bachelors. But if John's still worried about his reluctance to marry in a post-DOMA world, maybe he should move to one of the 37 states that still discriminate against LGBT couples?

Being married is always an option. And old gay guys have always and will always be looked at funny for going to places like bars and bathhouses alone. It is more a pervert thing than anything else if they are worried about how people see them don't go. You don't go to these places to care about how they see you. Getting married is not going to change our lives that much the just means that those of us that want to settle down can now. But gay men in general don't settle down very often. It will be fine in the end.

He is right. When gays couldn't marry that meant living alone and going to gay bars, bathhouses , and bookstores. Now men who choose to be solitary men will be the freaks of the community. Gay men over 35 will be forced into marriages of convenience.

John Waters has ALWAYS held this stance. This is not news. He's been pretty outspoken about "marriage" for YEARS.

That said, I do think there are a lot of gays who do not realize that there definitely are things that happen to non-married individuals. I've been denied jobs because I wasn't married, typically non-married workers work MORE hours than their married counter-parts: though this is MOSTLY due to dependent care and employees giving employees with children more time off.

Ultimately that isn't a gay/straight thing (which John mentions in his comments I think). For me, I think it is just the sign of the times. That was already something we had to deal with, but now it won't be because we're gay.

He was feeling ignored and needed his name in print, so this is how he did it. Not every straight person wants to be married either, but they at least have the choice to do so. No one is forcing anyone to get married if they don't want to anyway.